THE Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry for Tourism have partnered with the Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association for the HOTEC Trade Show 2018 on Denarau Island, Nadi.
According to a statement released, a focal point for this year’s HOTEC Trade Show is to improve tourism linkages with agriculture and increase the uptake of local farm produce for hotel properties.
“This annual tourism industry tradeshow recognises that industry trends change rapidly and the reason Fiji consistently punches way above its small island state weight is because it not only has all the ingredients for great tourism attractions, but because we as an industry recognise the need to constantly improve our products and services,” said association president Dixon Seeto.
“This year, in partnership with the Ministries of Tourism & Agriculture, we also recognise that a better understanding of our fresh produce demands for tourism could potentially reduce our imports and food costs while providing farmers with greater economic benefits that would also spread the tourism dollar further in Fiji,” he said.
Mr Seeto said trade shows such as HOTEC provided a platform to stay updated, learn new things and improve offerings.
“We hope that focusing on improving the processes from farm to plate will assist all levels of the supply chain. Through trade shows like HOTEC, we hope that suppliers, buyers, chefs, farmers and visitors coming to the tradeshow – gain better insight, make more informed decisions, learn new things, help to improve standards and ultimately ensure these networking opportunities grow our businesses.”
The two-day trade show is the largest exhibition for hospitality service providers in local tourism, the country’s largest industry and source of employment.
